the baby is now at a wildlife rehab center. he'll be raised there until he's well enough to live on his own outside the city. >> so cute. >> thanks for joining us here at 5:00. lester holt is next with the "nightly news." >> we'll see you at 6:00.

recommending children return without masks or social distancing. can you be infected by the coronavirus? do antibodies protect you and how long do they last? >> this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening everyone from los angeles it is looking a lot like march in the nation's largest state tonight. nearly four months after californians were first ordered to shelter in place closed signs are back up in places that had only recently reopened all in a desperate effort to slow the spread of covid. in those four months deaths in california alone rising from just 18 to over 7,000 rolling back restrictions one of the few options left for states as the head of the cdc today uttered a haunting

prediction we've got it all covered. miguel almaguer starts us off >> reporter: with california crippled by covid tonight the first state to order a sweeping shutdown now becoming the largest to implement a massive roll back. the governor's new closures aren't just limited to indoor dining, bars, movie theaters, and churches most hair r salolons, , malls, gyms, and noncritical offices wheremillions work every day must also shutter. >> i just really hope people are going to take it seriously. i don't know what it is going to take for people to understand >> reporter: the fifth largest economy in the world grinding to a halt again the virus killing small businesses >> we can't close. if we close, we'll lose everything we have >> reporter: facing economic disaster, california is in the middle of a health crisis the state now averaging 8,000 new cases a day, more than double just a month ago. hospitalizations are up 43% in two weeks as the death toll climbs

to 7,000 more than one-third of all cases are in los angeles county >> we have never had as many people infected or infectious we have never had as many recorded positive cases each day we've never had as many people in the hospital >> reporter: while l.a.'s mayor could order additional closures, like the city's famed beaches and trails, the state e is hopoping toto dririve homeme its r requirementnt for faface masks releasing this new psa. >> but not everyone is listening. even in hard hit states some are refusing to enforce or require measures like face masks >> reporter: the mixed messages say doctors fueling the national rise in cases. california, texas alone 1 million infections since the start of the pandemic. >> i think the fall and the winter of 2020 and 2021 are going to bebe probably y one ofof thehe mostst difficultlt times wewe've experienced inin amamerican public c

health >> reporter: butut there arare signs ofof progresess. biotech h company moderna will soon begin testing their trial vaccine on 30,000 patients. but help may not come soon enough for moises ramirez loza whose family is holding vigil on a sidewalk outside his room where he has been on a ventilator for ten days >> when we do the rosary he cries. when we talk to him he cries. we know he is still there. he shows those expressions. we know he hears us. >> reporter: tonight the cost of covid impacting lives and livelihoods in devastating ways miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> reporter: this is sam brock in florida which hit a record for fatalities it marks the highest number in a single day fueling questions about what is happening in the state. >> we are exploding because we didn't have a unified approach and

we didn't manage to convince our population of the serious risk. >> reporter: experts also point to a toxic combination of crowded beaches, packed protests, bustling bars, and people not wearing masks. >> the amount of people who don't think they need to do something is enormous. >> here in miami dade where the positivity rate is around 25% officials say multi generational families living under one roof are seeing household infections spread out of control >> younger people have been contaminating the older people. >> reporter: florida has been ripping right through its records for daily covid cases and also testing more than at any point in the pandemic i am in miami beach where cars are lined around the block there is not enough time in the day to test all these people. as the pumped up testing calls for faster results governor desantis also pointed the finger to the state's agricultural workers saying this last month. >> some of these guys, they go to work in a school bus and they're

all packed there like sardines >> reporter: antonio tovar represents florida's farm workers association. is there any evidence it is the agricultural field that is driving this surge in florida? >> not at all. the workers are not driving the surge of the pandemic >> reporter: today the governor's office telling nbc news the overall agricultural picking season is over but migrants groups say they're still active tonight florida trying to get a grip on the crisis >> our only option, unfortunately, at this time, since we haven't seen a turn-around in the last few days despite these measures is to enter another lockdown >> reporter: one option the state's leader so far has left off the table. sam brock, nbc news, miami. now to new york. once the epicenter of the crisis with over 30,000 deaths, but tonight to keep infection rates low the governor is getting tougher about quarantines from travelers from hot spots but can this crackdown be enforced? here is gabe

gutierrez. >> reporter: new york's governor is billing it a drastic move to stop the spread >> if you leave the airport without providing the information, you will receive a summons immediately. >> reporter: starting today officers will meet passengers at new york airport those coming from 22 states designated as covid hot spots now need to fill out these forms from the health department providing contact information or face a $2,000 fine the state had already imposed a two-week quarantine for those travelers like el hathaway of california who is returning to syracuse university next month >> trying to figure out a way to work with the governor and figure out a safe, effective way. realistically they know kids are not going to be able to come back two weeks early. >> reporter: with tens of thousands of people traveling here every day can this actually be enforced? last month governor cuomo announced up to a $10,000 fine if a person entered the state without quarantining and spread the virus

so far no fines have been issued in new york city. months ago texas imposed its own 14-day quarantine for travelers from the northeast but today texas officials told nbc news they did not cite anyone just conducted random spot checks >> just by the sheer number of people we would need to enforce this around the clock 24/7 we just don't have that type of staffing >> reporter: still, after three people returned to warren county, new york from a vacation in florida and tested positive, 46 residents are now on lockdown and being monitored. >> we have eight active cases of coronavirus. if we had 200 active cases it gets a whole lot harder and a whole lot more labor intensive. >> reporter: the governor's office says travelers driving from hot spots must fill out the form online. it is not clear how that will be enforced. lester >> all right gabe, thank you. president trump plunged back into the issue of police killings of black americans today and also weighing in on the issue of the confederate flag the president making controversial comments

about both >> reporter: in a new interview with cbs news, president trump called the killing of george floyd by police terrible but hit back when asked about the underlying issue of deadly use of force by police >> why are african-americans still dying at the hands of law enforcement in this country? >> so are white people so are white people. what a terrible question to ask. so are white people. more white people by the way. more white people. >> reporter: the president also defending the display of the confederate flag >> you understand why the flag as painful symbol for many people because it is a reminder of slavery? >> people love it. i know people that like the confederate flag and they're not thinking about slavery. i just think it is freedom of speech. whether it is confederate flags or black lives matter or anything else you want to talk about. it's freedom of speech >> reporter: the comments coming as the president faces fresh fallout over his coronavirus response in the form of an extraordinary rebuke from four former heads

of the cdc who argue in a new op-ed published in "the washington post," that the president and white house officials are attempting to undermine the agency's guidance for schools hoping to reopen in the fall the condemnation from doctors comes as president trump blasted the cdc's school reopening guidelines as very tough and expensive. >> for guidelines to be issued by cdc and undermined by the white house confuses everyone the cdc guidelines are based on science if we can't rely on that, where are we going to turn? >> reporter: a white house official tells us in response it has been working with the cdc in partnership since the very beginning of this pandemic and they say they encourage all americans to follow cdc guidelines lester >> thanks. a late development this evening supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg has been hospitalized for treatment of a possible infection the 8 #please-year-old

justice underwent a procedure to clean out a bile duct stent that was placed last august the court says she will stay in the hospital for a few days to receive i.v. antibiotic treatment a federal judge denied bail for ghislain maxwell the former girlfriend of jeffrey epstein accused of sex trafficking young women for him. >> reporter: bail denied ghislain maxwell will have to wait for her trial behind bars. the ex-girlfriend and long time partner of jeffrey epstein pleaded not guilty and asked the court for a $5 million bail and home arrest in a luxury manhattan hotel. the elusive 58-year-old appeared via video conference in a brown prison uniform. >> maxwell looked completely different than the pictures we are used to seeing on socialite pages. she had much longer hair, darker, and back in a ponytail. >> reporter: though her defense team argued the covid-19 pandemic made waiting behind bars not

realistic the judge rejected the proposal saying maxwell poses substantial risk of flight according to prosecutors she was less than candid about her wealth and in court documents investigators say she holds a swiss bank account worth more than $4 million and a british account worth more than $2 million prosecutors say she took deliberate steps to avoid law enforcement including wrapping her cell phone in tin foil what they called a seemingly misguided effort to evade detection. her attorneys argued she took extra steps to avoid the media not the police one accuser told the judge maxwell enjoyed drawing her victims in with perceived caring. annie farmer says she was 16 years old when she was sexually trafficked by maxwell. she told the court by phone maxwell has lied under oath and tormts her survivors. maxwell's arrest has been met with hope and disbelief by other epstein accusers >> i am still trying to wrap my brain around her behind bars there's part of me that, you know, justice has already failed us a few times

before in this situation, so i'm kind of just waiting for the other shoe to drop. >> reporter: the trial is not expected to last long about three weeks but ghislain maxwell will have a lot of time to think about it in her jail cell the trial isn't set to begin until july of next year. lester >> stephanie gosk in new york tonight thanks in 60 seconds the debate over reopening schools and the enormous challenge facing students, parents, and educators and facts over fear. whatat expererts now sayay about gegetting rereinfected w with covivid-19

with the debate raging over how to send children back to school safely districts across the country are making their own plans tonight. everything from online only learning to in-person classes with no social distancing here is blayne alexander. >> reporter: in orange county, california the divide runs deep some pleading keep students at home while inside at a virtual school board meeting -- >> time to get these

doors open and get these babies back to school >> reporter: the orange county board of education agreed recommending students in all 28 districts return to the classroom inext month no masks or social distancing required. a paper adopted and approved by the board slamming distance learning as an utter failure frustrating to all citing irregular attendance and disparities in access to technology. while the decision to reopen is up to each district the board calls it critical to the well being of our children, families, and communities. to the north and south both los angeles and san diego public schools are going in a different direction, announcing the start of school will be online only, returning to the classroom as soon as public health conditions allow >> when in-person learning is possible we're prepared for that but quite frankly, in california it is not possible right now >> reporter: from state to state a patchwork approach no uniformity even among neighboring districts. in memphis where parents can choose

between virtual and in-person learning, more cleaning, masks for everyone, smaller classes, and scheduled hand washing >> it is going to cost millions of dollars. we've spent already upwards of close to $50 million already to get schools up and going. but we're going to need more. >> reporter: while the majority of public education is funded at the state and local level all eyes are on washington for the extra boost. congress approved more than $13 billion of aid for schools early in the pandemic and in the next relief package hundreds of billions more could be on the table a lot of this also comes down to teachers and whether they are ready to come back here in georgia a survey by the state's largest educators association found that more than half of those responding do not believe their district has done enough to respond to the virus. lester >> blayne alexander, thanks key questions before schools reopen. can patients who had covid get itagain? do antibodies provide protection

if so, for how long? our tom costello now with facts over r fear >> reporter: 29-year-old carter wright knows all too well the symptoms that come with covid. the cough, body aches, and high fever >> at one point i got cold packs and put them under my arm pits because that helps cool you quickly. >> reporter: he was first diagnosed in march then covid came back even stronger on july 4th >> i cried hard that night because it was super overwhelming. >> reporter: because you thought you were through with this. >> yeah. >> reporter: both times he tested positive why didn't the antibodies from the first infection protect him from getting again? new research suggests virus protection may not last long. british researchers say a study of 96 covid patients found their antibodies peaked three weeks after the symptoms appeared then rapidly declined three months later only #17% of those

tested had the same level of antibodies. this university of alabama doctor was sick with covid in march and still wears ppe. if antibody protection drops fast, he says, it could be a troubling development. >> because if that translates into someone possibly getting reinfected, ththat destroyoys the concept ofof what wewe will have of herd immunity where large numbers of people who had it can ultimately extinguish the infection and put this behind us a little bit. >> reporter: researchers don't know if a vaccine's protection might also diminish over time >> what we do know is that a single experience with covid does not render someone immune for the rest of their lives and it may not make them immune for more than a few months. >> reporter: researchers believe the sickest covid patients likely have more protection than those who are less sick but because the protection may diminish over time even recovered

patients are encouraged to wear a mask lester >> we keep learning so much about this virus, tom. and so much of it isn't good up next why covid is hitting one community particularly hard this isn't't our firstst fli.

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>> reporter: under the hot summer sun in los angeles, this woman is selling masks on a street corner. she said that everywhere she was cleaning houses they all told her she wouldn't be able to come back until the pandemic was over. every day her kids beg her not to go out afraid she'll get sick but she needs the money to feed her family she says she gets mad when she sees somebody without a mask but doesn't want to say anything because people are very violent these days her concerns about catching the virus are warranted. in los angeles, latinos are more than twice as likely to get covid-19 than white residents and across the country where latinos make up 19% of the population they account for one-third of all cases frustrating for this doctor >> well, it's alarming. >> reporter: he says the government isn't sending enough resources to minority communities many of whom don't have the option of staying home even when cases are spiking. >> those are the people on the front lines when it comes to being essential workers and grocery

stores making sure everything is clean >> they are the same people delivering our food when we shelter at home. they are the same people that when we go to the grocery store they're helping us >> a month ago he was completely healthy >> reporter: this woman's father, a first generation mexican american lived in tulson, arizona and contracted the virus after stay-at-home orders were lifted >> this should not have happened to my father he should not have died alone in a hospital with a nurse holding his hand >> reporter: she is calling on elected officials to do more >> the people on the front lines holding our economy together. >> reporter: while those selling masks to protect us say now is the time to be more vigilant than ever she says this isn't a game this is a virus and this virus will kill you. nbc news, los angeles. up next one boy's inspiring g shout out t to the frfront lines.s.

before we go in our latest episode of "nightly news kids edition" a 12-year-old who is lifting spirits on the front lines by holding impromptu concerts outside his local hospital plus we'll meet an inspiring dance teacher and her

students who are stepping in and stepping up despite the virus outbreak our new episode is streaming now. that is "nightly news." thank you for watching everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. xx get ready to close up shop. only 24 hours after reopening. good evening. thanks for being with us. >> a lot of new developments in the past few hours. let's begin with promising news.

drugmaker, moderna says the next step is to see if the vaccine is strong enough. the trump administration continues to push for schools to reopen this fall. parents and students are doing, quote, dying by not going back to campus. this comes as the cdc issues guidance. a third of cas, surge of cases causing lines. we're averaging 105,000 tests a day. to help make testing easier and faster, the state wants to expand testing sites to doctors offices and expect testing plans to